“Contrary to suggestions they were being mothballed, the libraries will undergo an “evolution” that will allow greater access, and they’ll be staffed by teachers, he said, including before and after school. He said this won’t require more teachers. Instead, their time will be “reallocated.”

“The new library — the board calls it a learning commons area — won’t be hush-hush quiet, he said. “It’s a much more boisterous hub, much like you would see at a student centre at the university,” with wireless connections and a teacher (a library technician isn’t a teacher, so can’t fulfil that role, he said) helping them with research and digital literacy. “